Austin Chronicle

ALICE HAMMER

Alice Hammer of Austin, Texas, was killed with her husband, Preben, when the car in which they were passengers was hit by an out of control vehicle on June 9, 2018 near Spicewood.
Alice was born on November 24, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois to Harold and Regina (Lukasweski) Scherer. She graduated from Northwestern University in 1971. She studied at The International People's College in Helsingor, Denmark where she met Preben Hammer. On September 8, 1973 they married in Gurre, Denmark, where they also built a home and started their family. Upon returning to the US in 1981, Alice obtained her MBA at The University of Illinois.
Alice was a lifelong equestrian devoted to her horses, with a career in public finance at Nuveen, Standard and Poor, and Northern Trust. She was one of the leading certified financial analysts in the region, and, after retirement, served as an expert witness in litigation. She was a court-appointed special advocate for children and volunteered certified health insurance exchange counselor. Alice served on the Bond Oversight Commission on behalf of City Councilman Flannigan and enthusiastically volunteered as a reading tutor with AISD's Refugee Support Office.
Alice enjoyed learning and spending time with friends at her French, Knitting, Book, Movie, Birding, University of Texas OLLI NOVA, Northwestern Alumni, and Austin Newcomers Clubs. She spent her mornings walking with her daughter Suzanne and husband, and many afternoons accompanying her granddaughter Sonja to ballet and harp lessons and sharing her love of the performing arts with season tickets for two. She laughed and caught up with friends and family every Saturday morning while drinking her son-in-law Alex's famous lattes. She found great joy offering unconditional love and hand-knit gear to her grandson Kai and sewing doll clothes for, reading to, and cuddling her granddaughters Genevieve and Marianne in Minnesota. She and Preben had travelled adventurously around the world; their next planned escapade was to dog-sled under the aurora borealis.
Alice will be desperately missed by her two daughters, Suzanne and Monica Hammer; sons-in-law Alex Athey and Luke Schwankl; four grandchildren, Kai Hammer Athey, Sonja Monica Athey, Genevieve Grace Schwankl Hammer, and Marianne Hope Schwankl Hammer; sister, retired Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith; nephews Michael and Matthew Smith; sister-in-law, retired nurse and city council representative Mona Jensen Hammer; and nieces Gertie Hammer Bjørch and Nanna Hammer Schou. She was recently preceded in death by her beloved horses, Razzmatazz and Lily Brilliantaire. She was deeply in love with her husband, Preben, who died with her.
A ceremony and reception will be held at 1 PM on Saturday, June 23rd at Peace Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, officiated by Pastor Carolyn Albert Donovan. Burial will follow on a later date at Arlington Cemetery in Chicago and in Rønne, Denmark. Memorials may be made to the Hooved Animal Humane Society of Woodstock, Illinois.

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